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First Marathon Story: There’s Never a Perfect Time: Training for a First Marathon With Three Young Kids w/ Morgan Berry

Writer: Taylor Sayles
Taylor Sayles
Oct 26
4 min read
Split-screen of two smiling women indoors; right woman speaks into a mic. Text reads MORGAN BERRY.

A Lifetime Love for Athletics

As a kid, Morgan was a competitive gymnast. In high school, she decided she wanted to "have a life" outside of sports, and she stepped away from gymnastics, but kept active, in cross country and volleyball. Running was social for her though, not so much competitive (although she was competitive with her siblings, who were on cross country and track with her). Morgan always said yes to the events no one else was doing.


In college, cheerleading became her source of community. And even then, she was the only one enjoying the timed miles - even though she doesn't remember ever being particularly fast. Her boyfriend (now husband) ran in college, keeping her exposed to running even as she focused on other things. But she never thought beyond a couple of miles.


Why Not?

After college, she and her husband moved around a lot. She went from Tennessee to New Mexico, to Florida. She enjoyed getting off of her teaching job in Florida in January or February and being able to run a few miles. Then, she found an incredible running community in northern Virginia, and eventually was invited to participate in a half marathon. It was terrible, but all she could think about was wanting to do it again. She did two more half marathons while living in the D.C. area, before moving back to Tennessee in 2020.


In January 2024, Morgan was pregnant, and her husband was watching all of his running friends qualify for Boston. He felt like the only one who hadn't, and decided he wanted to try. He found a community in Knoxville, and after seeing him run his marathon in Indianapolis, Morgan started to feel like maybe she wanted to try, too. She immediately signed up for a local half marathon in April 2025, and after finishing, she thought: "Why not?"


Tackling Her First 26.2

Morgan signed up when prices were low, and immediately told everyone she knew (so there was no backing out). A 5K race gave her the opportunity to reconnect with a girl she knew in high school, who was also conveniently signed up for the same full marathon, and they shared a lot of miles together.


Morgan pieced together a couple of plans from Hal Higdon, her COROS watch, and input from her husband. Her confidence started building, with a running community around her. There was some balance needed, with her husband training for a marathon too, three kids at home, and each with a full-time job.


She had highs and lows throughout the three-week taper, before finally making it to race day. There were about 800 people signed up for the marathon, with only 250 women running. Race day ended up being hotter than ideal, with brutal sun. She and her friend started together, with a pace group, planning to take it easy and give it all towards the end.

The course ended up being a half-mile longer than it was supposed to be, which required a mental and physical adjustment. She stayed focus on her pace and her fueling.


The first half of the race was great. There was lots of crowd support and fun activations along the course. Morgan saw her at six points during the race, cheering her on. So while the back half of the race had much less going on, her family's support meant the world to her.


The last 6.2 miles were hot, but she kept pouring water on herself at every aid station to help. She kept putting one foot in front of the other. Her husband hopped in with her at the worst bridge of the course, running alongside her and giving her the pep talk she needed to keep going. When he hopped out, her sister jumped in. Morgan started to feel emotional, with all her people around her. Heading into the last two miles, she was on a high.


Getting to the finish line meant another hill, and another bridge, and then a brutal downhill. With the extra course distance, Morgan was able to celebrate hitting 26.2 even before the actual finish line. People lined the entire chute leading to the finish line, and she crossed the line a marathoner.


Lessons Learned

  • Focus on what you can control.

  • Running can help you show up better for your family, so make the time if that's the case.

  • If you want it, don't wait for the "perfect time."

Want to hear Morgan tell the story herself? Listen to the full episode now: There’s Never a Perfect Time: Training for a First Marathon With Three Young Kids w/ Morgan Berry— available wherever you get your podcasts.


Listen to my most recent mini episode: Survival Guide To Running Your First Marathon



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Follow along with the show:

👣 Personal IG/TikTok: @tay.says / @taysays

🎙️ Podcast IG/TikTok: @myfirstmarathonpod

📺 YouTube: @MyFirstMarathonPodcast


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